Monday, April 30, 2007

I found a nice critique of the current state of Punditry and Opinion Media from Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone. He makes some great points about the polarising nature of this partisan format. Its precisely why there is fertile ground for this wrestling federation to build on. Ummmmm... isn't that at least one good thing that has come from all this hate?... right guys?

MATT TAIBBI: Well, I think we all are, especially the people who are the audiences of these shows. You know, and I've seen this in families. You know, you have one uncle who listens to Rush and another uncle who listens to Air America, and they don't talk to each other any more. People who are neighbors – you know, they're far more likely to go turn on the O'Reilly show or listen to, you know, whatever, you know, radio show that appeals to him than they are to go next door and talk to the neighbor who they think might be of an opposite political orientation.

Saturday, April 28, 2007

One of the key components of wrestling is 'Aura'. A wrestler's value hinges on gaining and preserving Aura. Aura is earned through the caliber of competition the wrestler defeats. One quick way to earn aura is to purposely challenge and vanquish weaker opponents, known as "jobbers".

As wrestlers trade off each other's aura, you will rarely see a wrestler go undefeated. This is especially true once wrestlers of equal and higher caliber start facing off. When a wrestler must stage a loss, the trick is in managing that defeat in a way that allows the wrestler to preserve their aura. There are many ways of doing this:
1) A wrestler who is being soundly beaten can disqualify themselves i.e a teammate running in or use of an illegal foreign object. Whilst the wrestler has been humiliated they have at least robbed their opponent and the audience of an official victory. This disqualifying action will most likely get 'heel heat'.
2) If a wrestler has been officially defeated by their opponent. The vanquished wrestler can win favor with the crowd by congratulating their victorious opponent. They can do this by shaking hands after the match, raising their opponent's hands or graciously passing on their surrendered title belt. This gesture should get the wrestler a 'face pop'.

In punditry, Aura also plays a big part. The pundit must always seem to be in control and more knowledgeable than their audience. That is after all why we listen to them. Callers are quick to challenge pundits if they are being disingenuous or purposely misleading. Pundits can manage this by screening their calls and only allowing those who agree and reinforce their viewpoint. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity are known for this. Pundits like Hugh Hewitt, Michael Medved and Sam Seder support a format where they specifically invite callers of different viewpoints. Al Franken has a more novel approach, he doesn't accept callers. But sometimes callers will slip through the cracks.

Listen to Rush Limbaugh handle a contrarian caller, as recounted by Sam Seder

Sam Seder on Rush Limbaugh's handling of a contrarian caller
SAM SEDER: Alright I promise I'll get to your phone calls... but we're in the middle of a class right now. This is an intermediate class on 'How to be a right-wing talker'. Again to qualify for this class you have already had to have taken a large dose of hillbilly heroin to get to this to this juncture. We are talking about Rush Limbaugh... he has received a phone call from a Republican... nervous about the "Iran thing"... and Limbaugh doesn't know how to answer this so he's gonna have to buy a little time

Sometimes contrarian callers are allowed on the air for very different reasons. Call screeners may detect that a caller is weak on the issues, or in character (i.e timid, has a lisp). They become unwitting jobbers. It allows the pundit to slap down talking points through this surrogate, to represent the opposing view through a weak spokesperson. These callers often become favorite sparring partners for the pundit and gain cult status with the audience. Inevitably they become show regulars.Listen to Sam Seder talk to a frequent conservative caller, Dewey.

Sam Seder speaks to conservative caller 'Dewey'
SAM SEDER: So you're suggesting our military is weak because they've been feminised in some way?
CALLER DEWEY: I think we're headed in that direction Sam
SEDER: Really Dewey and what gives you an indication of that?
DEWEY: Well when you see people like Dick Durban apologising on the floor of our congress, crying and wearing pink ties. I mean they're laughing in Tehran at that
SEDER: (giggling) Wait a second -- So you don't like the fact Dick Durban is wearing pink ties. You're saying we're losing to our enemies because Dick Durban is wearing a pink tie...

These unwitting jobbers can also be handled using the bully pulpit. As the pundit controls the microphones he can terminate debates prematurely and have the final word. Mark Levin is a master of this method, it allows him to feed his aura of power and advances his 'take no crap' persona to his supporters.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Well it looks like it holds true. Of the 10 conservative pundits in the APF, half have practiced law- Hugh Hewitt, Ann Coulter, Joe Scarborough, Mark Levin and Laura Ingraham. Of the 9 liberal pundits, we have 7 Comedians- Al Franken, Stephanie Miller, Marc Maron, Sam Seder, Janeane Garofalo, Bill Maher and Jon Stewart. It would actually be 8, if we were to break kayfabe. As Stephen Colbert representing the Red team is also a comedian. Its actually quite ironic as one of the knocks against liberal talk radio is that its not entertaining enough, despite being populated by seasoned entertainers.

Overall only 3 of the current APF roster of 20 started their careers in punditry. Michelle Malkin, Tucker Carlson and APF's only independent, Bill O'reilly.

Looking at the collective history of pundits on both sides. The 'Rep' brand has far more experience than the 'Dem' brand with Conservative pundits averaging roughly 11 years each. Whilst liberal pundits average about 6 (I've included Colbert on the liberal side in this instance). This is no surprise as conservatives have dominated the talk format for decades, evidenced by their dominance in Talker's Magazine annual list of Heavy Hitters.

The 'Dem' brand placed 2 pundits in the Top 50, with Ed Schultz at #5 and Randi Rhodes at #13. The Red team on the other hand placed 4 pundits in the Top 50 with Rush Limbaugh taking the #1 spot. Followed by Sean Hannity(#2), Laura Ingraham(#7) and Mark Levin(#20).

That list is well and good. But the true Pundit Champion isn't going to be decided by a committee on a magazine. Its going to be judged by the people. Its going to be judged head to head, issue by issue. Through showdowns across the airwaves and face to face. Its going to be judged in the 'Political Arena'.
It's going to be judged..... IN THE APF!

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

I've been getting a lot of supportive messages lately from APF fans, on the blog and the myspace community. The American Pundit Fighters really appreciate it. To those who sent emails and messages, expect a reply from the commisioner soon.

As requested, a lot of people are weighing in on the pundits they want to come in on the next wave. Right now Marc Maron is getting a lot of support,followed by Thom Hartman, Stephanie Miller and Don Imus. Remember if you want your favorite pundit immortalized in animation and written about in the APF blog get your votes in now. I also encourage people to go to the myspace/"view pictures" (you'll need to log in) to comment on the pundits you like or hate the most. Lets get a debate going.

Again thanks to the fans who have voted. I'm still undecided on the pundits i'll be adding. I especially encourage the conservative supporters to throw some suggestions this way. So far its a toss up between Michael Medved, Glenn Beck, John Gibson and Michael Savage. Again thank you so much

Friday, April 20, 2007

In a previous post I stated that not all wrestlers began their careers in the ring. Prior to pursuing wrestling, they often came from the worlds of Football or College wrestling (Greco roman). Most of today's current pundits also didn't start their careers in journalism. Liberals tend to start their careers by way of comedy whereas conservatives often begin as lawyers.

I decided to make a list of the APF roster's prior biography to see if my anecdotal assertions held true.

For each APF member I will list 2 categories:1) Duration as a pundit. First National TV or Radio appearance as an APF pundit.2) Career before punditry

Janeane Garofalo1) Since 2003. TV spokesperson and activist for 'Win Without War'. An official working pundit since 2004, as co-host of Air America Radio's The Majority Report2) Actor and Comedienne

Sean Hannity1) Since 1987. Talk Radio host on KCSB-FM, a volunteer college station at UC Santa Barbara.2) Construction and Bartending

Hugh Hewitt1) Since 1990. Weekend talk radio host for KFI in Los Angeles.2) Lawyer and Political appointee

Laura Ingraham1) Since 1996. CBS commentator and host of Watch it on MSNBC2) Lawyer and Presidential speechwriter

Mark Levin1) Since 2002. Sunday evening talk Radio host on WABC. He was a frequent contributor on Rush Limbaugh's show many years prior.2) Lawyer and adviser to Presidential members

Rush Limbaugh1) Since 1984. As a radio talk show host at KFBK in Sacramento2) Top 40 (music) Radio DJ and Promotions Director for a Major League Baseball team

Rachel Maddow1) Since 2002. Radio talk show host at Massachusetts station WRNX, after winning a contest for a new on-air personality2) Rhodes Scholar with a doctorate in politics from Oxford University

Bill Maher1) Since 1993. Created and hosted Politically Incorrect for Comedy Central2) Comedian, Actor and writer

Michelle Malkin1) Since 2003. A Fox News contributor. Has been a national columnist for The Los Angeles Daily News since 1992.2) Columnist

Keith Olbermann1) Since 2003. Headlines his own political commentary show, Countdown on MSNBC.2) Sportscaster on TV and Radio

Bill O'Reilly1) Since 1980. Anchored his own program for WCBS-TV in New York. Moving to the national news scene reporting for CBS and ABC News.2) Print and broadcast journalist

Randi Rhodes1) Since the late 80s. Co hosted a radio program on Milwaukee's WQFM.2) Former secretary, waitress, trucker and US Air Force aircraft mechanic

Joe Scarborough1) Since 2003. Hosts his own Political opinion show Scarborough Country2) Republican congressman then Lawyer

Ed Schultz1) Since 2004. Ed debut his own show, The Ed Schultz Show. Ed has been providing his views since 1992, a regional talk show, News and Views2) Sportscaster for 15 years

Sam Seder1) Since 2004. Co-host along with Janeane Garofalo of Air America Radio's The Majority Report. 2) Comedian, Writer, Actor, TV and Film director, Producer

Jon Stewart1) Since 1999. Took over hosting duties for Comedy Central's The Daily Show2) Comedian, TV host and Actor

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

In sourcing the links for the Imus hullabaloo i was astonished by the wealth of commentary APF pundits provided on the issue. There are so many stories in the ether that its not often that pundits will unanimously focus on one issue. There are staple topics such as Terrorism, Global Warming and Iraq but rarely one that all pundits will sink their teeth into.

The primary reason is because issues by nature will tend to favor one ideology (or political party) over the other. If an issue is advantageous to one ideology (i.e an opposition scandal or screw up), certain pundits will tout it while others will be silent. There are a few reasons why a pundit may comment on an issue they would otherwise avoid. When an issue becomes too overwhelming that a pundit is forced to make comment, there are 3 usual courses of action.1) Blame or discredit the messenger. No hard facts are necessary, just enough misdirection to confuse the issue2) Spin. Direct people into how they should feel.3) Provide greater context on the issue. Commercial media tends to use broad strokes whereas talk radio allows for nuance.

The attention given by the APF pundits to the Imus story is largely because his ordeal with public relations and his advertisers has direct relevance to their careers and working landscape. Despite the fact Imus was left leaning and a critic of the current administration, liberal pundits are pleased that Imus is leaving. Imus was perceived as the embodiment of the Establishment 'Boys club', Politicians and elite pundits who viewed politics as a way of furthering their own status rather than serving the people. Red Team pundits have vested interest in the story because they feel that they are next in the crosshairs. That their speech will be muted, taken down the same way Imus was.

In wrestling terms the lumberjack match sums it up best.

A lumberjack match is when two wrestlers fight in the ring whilst they are encircled on the outside by a handful of other wrestlers. The purpose of these outside wrestlers is to throw any of the 2 combatants back in the ring when they are ejected from it. Inflicting some cheap shots in the process. The wrestlers outside may be partial to a particular combatant, but this is secondary. There main aim is to keep the action in the middle going, whilst beating up or acting as enforcers for the two ring combatants.

Enjoy the first wrestling video ever on the APF blog. While you watch it, imagine the two in-ring wrestlers being Al Sharpton and Don Imus. Now imagine the wrestlers on the outside being the APF roster. (Video contains some brutal images)

Sunday, April 15, 2007

I was officially trying to get the record for being the last blogger to cover the Don Imus brouhaha. One reason it took so long was the fact that Imus isn't on the APF roster, though he is in consideration as a future member. I won't bother with the back story of the scandal as there is ample news out there- did nothing else happen in the news last week?
So instead I will have the APF roster participate in a lumberjack match with Don Imus.
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Saturday, April 14, 2007

I never made mention of this at the time, but Al Franken is no longer on fulltime duty as a pundit on the APF roster. January of this year, Franken announced his departure from Air America Radio and formally announced that he would run for Minnesota's Senate seat in 2008.

In wrestling its not surprising to see a successful personality leave the squared circle for the bright lights of Hollywood. Trading in their status gained from wrestling, the fanbase they've garnered and converting it into mainstream success.

Many wrestlers didn't always start off on their current career path. Duane Johnson was defensive tackle for the University of Miami. He went on to the NFL signing a 3yr contract with the Denver Broncos. He didn't play a game and was cut after 3 months. Duane then followed the paths of his father and grandfather before him and entered the wrestling business. Duane Johnson would come to be known as 'The Rock'. He would dominate the industry gaining many fans with his charisma and electric personality. He became a household name as a wrestler and moved on to the larger stage of Hollywood to headline blockbuster movies.

Al Franken started his career as one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live. He also starred on the show creating popular characters like self-help guru Stuart Smalley. Al Franken wrote many lighthearted books on Politics starting with "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations" (1996), a fictional Franken campaign for President in "Why Not Me?" (1999) and the best-selling "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right" (2003). Al Franken became a mainstream celebrity as a comedic political commentator. He signed on to headline Air America Radio's flagship show early 2004. During this time Al consolidated his place as the entertainment world's 'Face' of the political left.

Al became immersed in the world of politics, traveling the country representing liberal viewpoints, rubbing shoulders with political and media players on his show and at fundraisers. As well getting accustomed to daily attacks from his opponents.

Wrestlers at the end of the day are entertainers. Its only natural they would go to Hollywood if the opportunity presented itself. They are perfectly equipped for it. Wrestlers write and recite their own lines, they're versed in timing, drama and comedy. They act live in front of packed audiences and they perform their own stunts.

Pundits/Talk Radio personalities are similarly equipped for politics. The fan base they've established can be converted easily into their voting bloc. The intimacy of the talk radio format helps in creating a feeling of trust and kinship. Radio hosts are accustomed to talking about and researching the issues as part of their daily duties. They have honed their presentation and are practiced in debating, as they engage daily with callers (aka voters) and studio guests. Its a natural transition, rather than using their influence to champion their beliefs from the sidelines. They can run for office and affect policy directly.

While Al Franken hopes Minnesota turns the comedian-cum-pundit into their next Senator. Stranger things things have happened. Minnesota after all was the place where they turned a Wrestler into a Politician.

Friday, April 13, 2007

Get excited fans- The first ever APF wallpaper is here. I primarily made this for my twitter profile (which the kids are using apparently). While it may not look great now when cropped. It will look great tiled on your desktop. Test it for yourself.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Mark Levin is a conservative radio talk show host. He formerly served as adviser to several members of Ronald Reagan's cabinet. Mark is the president of the Landmark Legal Foundation, "a public interest law firm fighting for conservative principles in America".

Prior to getting his own show, Mark was a frequent contributor to The Rush Limbaugh Show providing legal opinion. His Landmark Legal Foundation famously nominated Rush for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

Mark has often worked with Sean Hannity appearing frequently on each other's shows. He hosts a 2hr radio show on the WABC network (The Mark Levin Show) on the timeslot after Hannity's. Mark has a comprehensive fan site.

He has written a book on his pet topic of judicial activism, Men in Black: How the Supreme Court Is Destroying America.

Rachel Maddow is a liberal talk show host on Air America Radio. Originally co-host of the now-cancelled Unfiltered with Chuck D and Lizz Winstead. She now hosts her own 2hr program The Rachel Maddow show. Rachel also has the pleasure of having a comprehensive fan site.

She was a regular panelist on Tucker Carlson's show on MSNBC. Rachel is the only openly gay pundit on the APF roster.

Sunday, April 8, 2007

The smarks out there may already be aware of this information. APF pundit Sam Seder as of Friday April 13, will no longer be on Air America weekdays. Sam Seder said as much on Friday's show, live on SammyCam (live video streaming) after a caller brought up the rumor. Sam has told SammyCam viewers that a formal announcement would be made at the start of his final week. He has reportedly been given a Sunday timeslot. More details can be found on Blatherwatch.

It will come as no surprise to regular readers that he was receiving a solid push by the APF (read former Sam Seder posts here). One reason why Sam was popular in the APF was his frequent referencing and cajoling of Bill O'Reilly and Red team pundits from Hannity to Limbaugh. Another reason for Sam's popularity was his willingness to speak up against other personalities in his sphere that he had disagreements with. Though I wouldn't consider him combative, he was not afraid to criticize or comment on people no matter how awkward or damaging professionally doing so might be.He commented on different pundits from print, TV and Radio. Not afraid to name names and often calling them out directly. It will be interesting to see how this will affect his future prospects in the long run.

Some notable personalities Sam has spoken about:1) Favorite targets include Tim Russert, Thomas Friedman and Chris Matthews etc..2) Lobbying for Thom Hartmann (a personal favourite talker of Sam's) to fill Al Franken's vacant timeslot. This raised the ire of popular liberal talker Ed Schultz. Read former post here.3) While emceeing a stage performance of 'All the President's men'. Sam criticized Bob Woodward who was not in attendance, Carl came to his partner's defense. Read about it here.4) Marc Maron, a good friend of Sam's and former regular on his show was talking about a possible gig partnering with Ana Marie Cox (founding editor of Wonkette). Sam was not afraid to share his opinion of her possibly making things awkward for Marc. Listen to Marc's final conversation with Sam on Air America. Because of these new developments, its interesting to hear it in this new context.

My posts are usually never this current, they are often essays and references that are not date specific. I just wanted to write this to simply encourage readers to sample Sam if they haven't already done so as time is running out. Find out where to listen here. Go to Sam's blog here. If you'd like to send an email to Sam, send to samsedershow@gmail.com

I've removed the details for contacting Air America after some advice from a reader. I would encourage all readers to share their thoughts and opinions of Sam.

UpdateSam is unapologetically outspoken, even if it means upsetting his employers. After taking a dig at Armstrong Williams- the morning cohost for Air America's flagship New York affiliate. Sam was punished by being taken off the air in NY the following day. After serving his punishment, Sam was as defiant as ever repeating his taunt and indulging in the support from his listeners. Sam was sarcastically commenting on Armstrong Williams' credibility, tarnished after being paid by the White House to promote a policy he had previously criticized.

Friday, April 6, 2007

Eric Alterman recently spoke to Sam Seder about the credibility of the pundit class. The conversation stemmed from his current piece for 'The Nation'.

The Politics of Pundit Prestige...
When Fred Barnes famously pronounced on The McLaughlin Group, "I can speak to almost anything with a lot of authority," he was right, at least to the degree that he was really saying, "I can speak to almost anything without anyone pointing out how full of shit I usually am."

The advent of the Internet--particularly the blogosphere--has changed all that. Now, not only are the things pundits say and write preserved for posterity; there are legions of folks who track pundit pronouncements, fact-check their statements and compare them with previous utterances on the same and similar topics...

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Hello readers. I know its been a while since I had a proper essay style post, but in the meanwhile i hope you're having fun with the resources i've been posting.
Today i'll be featuring a music playlist of all the Entrance music of your favorite APF pundits. I will be adding new songs as they come to mind- if you'd like to help with song suggestions please leave a comment.
As with wrestling, the Pundit entrance music (or intro music) is a reflection of their personality. So far they are all radio themes, but i'm hoping to add their TV themes as they become available.

Playlist:Mark Levin
"Somewhere I belong" by Linkin Park

Sam Seder
"Pressure Drop" by The Clash

Sean Hannity
"Independence Day" Martina McBride

Rush Limbaugh
"My City Was Gone" by The Pretenders

Janeane Garofalo
"Going Underground" by Paul Weller and the Jam

Randi Rhodes
"Pain" by Stereomud

Note: The system is pretty hinky. Simply launch the standalone player and enjoy the audio goodness.

Monday, April 2, 2007

I am making hi-res pictures of the APF pundits available for download. Feel free to use them as you wish. Use them on posters, zines, websites or blogs- however you see fit. When you do, please send me some pictures or links showing how you've used them. I'd greatly appreciate it.

About the Author

Hello my name is Jim, I'm a graphic designer by day and APF commissioner by night. I've always been a fan of analogies, this is just my most ambitious. A whole blog proving that Politics and wrestling are one and the same.
If you would like to contribute or make a suggestion to the APF
Email me at pundit.fight[at]gmail.com
Alternatively if you'd like to commission some editorial illustration work.
Email me at pundit.fight[at]gmail.com